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Username: Nostradennis
Date: 2020-05-28 17:56:17
Reaction Score: 6
TWO THIRTEENTH (Abolition) AMENDMENTS
There are two Thirteenth Amendments that are cited in the Official Proceedings of Congress, ie, the Congressional Globe. The first 13th Amendment was recorded during the Thirty Eighth Congress and contains Twenty Sections. The second 13th Amendment was recorded during the Thirty Ninth Congress and contains Two Sections. The 13th,14th and 15th Amendments are collectively known as the
Reconstruction Amendments. The Two Section 13th Amendment is well recognized and is the
"official" amendment of history. The Twenty Section 13th Amendment is never mentioned and surfaced most unexpectantly while researching the Titles of Nobility Act (TONA),
thee original missing 13th Amendment of 1810. Thirteen indeed is an unlucky and vexed number for this constitutional amendment.
The Thirty Eighth Congress (March 4, 1863, to March 4, 1865) 13th Amendment with Twenty Sections
Article XIII. (Sec.1 - Sec.14) April 9, 1864 (right third column)
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875
Article XIII. (Sec.15 - Sec. 20) April 8, 1864 (top left column)
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875
The Joint Resolution Passed: yeas 38, nays 6
A Joint Resolution submitting to the Legislatures of the several States a proposition to amend the Constitution of the United States
lower right third column (page 1490), April 8, 1864
NOTEWORTHY
SECTION 6 — Involuntary Servitude, except for crime, shall not be permanently established within the district set apart from the Seat of government of the United States; but the right of sojourn in such District with persons held to Service or Labor for Life, shall not be denied.
SECTION 12 – The traffic in Slaves with Africa is hereby forever prohibited on pain of death and the forfeiture of all the rights and property of persons engaged therein; and the descendants of Africans shall not be citizens.
The Thirty Ninth Congress (March 4, 1865, to March 4, 1867) 13th Amendment with Two Sections
39th Congress December 4, 1865 (reference page 1)
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875
(from page 2 left column)
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875
Compare and Contrast
(from the 20 Section version)
Section 6. Involuntary Servitude, except for crime, shall not be permanently established, within the district set apart from the Seat of government of the United States; but the right of sojourn in such District with persons held to Service or Labor for Life, shall not be denied.
Section 12. The traffic in Slaves with Africa is hereby forever prohibited on pain of death and the forfeiture of all the rights and property of persons engaged therein; and the descendants of Africans shall not be citizens.
Versus
(from the 2 Section version)
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
ARTICLE REFERENCES
Commentary
Nowhere did I see in the congressional proceedings the distillation of the 20 section article down to a 2 section article? What happened to the death penalty as a punishment for slavery conviction? What happened to
"the descendants of Africans shall not be citizens" or even a spirited debate of record on this issue? Where is the vote tally (
yeas and nays) for this two section version of the 13th? What is meant by Mr. Sumner's
"a concurrent resolution declaratory of the adoption of the constitutional amendment abolishing slavery" ? Was he merely paraphrasing the longer twenty section 13th version?
From reading the official account found in the Congressional Globe, finding the Twenty Section 13th Amendment recorded during the 38th Congress 1st Session and the Two Section 13th Amendment recorded during the 39th Congress 1st Session, one may argue and even conclude, albeit indirectly from Wikipedia, that since both
approval and
signature for the Twenty Section 13th Amendment occurred during the 38th Congress and not the 39th Congress, then this Twenty Section version of the 13th Amendment must necessarily be true, correct and the 13th Amendment of historical record.
From Wikipedia
38th Congressional Congress
Constitutional amendments
January 31, 1865:
Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution abolishing slavery in the United States and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification 13 Stat. 567 Amendment was later ratified on December 6, 1865, becoming the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
38th United States Congress - Wikipedia
National Freedom Day
National Freedom Day is a United States observance on February 1 honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln
signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1,1865, although it was not ratified by the states until later.
National Freedom Day - Wikipedia
NOTABLES

Section 2. Congress shall have power
to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 2. Unanswered Questions?
What kind of Power? Restrained, Measured, Absolute?
Enforce how? Any means necessary? As we see fit?
Appropriate legislation? Why is not the legislation enumerated with specifics beforehand like the 20 Section 13th Amendment was? How could the Supreme Court rule on any legislation that is not spelled out beforehand by the Legislative branch in advance?
A handwritten "Congressional copy" of the Thirteen Amendment signed by President Lincoln

This copy of the Thirteen Amendment is one of six known handwritten,
“Congressional” copies of the Thirteenth Amendment to be signed by President Lincoln. In all, President Lincoln is believed to have signed 14 copies of the Amendment. Soon after, the Senate declared Lincoln’s signature
“unnecessary,” rebuking him on the grounds that the president has no constitutional role in proposing or passing constitutional amendments.
https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/thirteenthamendmentposter.pdf
Why ask for the President's signature on these 14 copies only to chide him later for doing so?
If the President's signature is
"unnecessary" then what did President Lincoln sign on National Freedom Day? A Congressional Bill? An Executive Order? The Joint Resolution with twenty sections?
Conjecture
Was President Lincoln being set up with signing truncated copies of the 13th Amendment three months before his assassination to pave the way for a convenient reference marker for the purpose of 13th Amendment obfuscation?
Lastly
The 14th ("the second Constitution") Amendment followed a short time later. Many constitutional scholars believe that this amendment lacks proper ratification. It virtually changed everything about the republic designed at Philadelphia. There is No "Fourteenth Amendment"!
David Lawrence: There is No